Razorbacks rout Bucknell, 14-2, to open 2018 season
VIDEO: Postgame | Arkansas 14, Bucknell 2
Quarterback battle to highlight upcoming Razorback spring
The Razorbacks put on an offensive showcase, tallying 22 runs in the first four innings on their way to a 32-4 victory in game two against Bucknell on Saturday.
Isaiah Campbell had an impressive showing in his first appearance since last season's surgery. The sophomore righty had 7 strikeouts and only allowed 1 run in four innings of work.
Bucknell struck first with an RBI double in the first inning, but the Bison were stifled the rest of the game. Senior Luke Johnson was the lone bright spot for Bucknell. He had RBI singles in the fifth and seventh inning to give Bucknell 2 of its 4 runs.
Here's how the Hogs got to 2-0 on the year:
THE WINNING INNING
In similar fashion to game one, Arkansas wasted little time getting runs on the board. A three-run homer by Luke Bonfield put the Hogs up 3-1 after the first inning.
In the next three innings, the Razorbacks put up 19 runs. Carson Shaddy, Dominic Fletcher and Grant Koch all went yard in the second inning, mounting the lead to 9-1.
Six walks, an RBI single by Heston Kjerstad and an RBI double by Shaddy made the score 16-1 in the third.
From that point, Arkansas hit 2 more home runs and scored 16 more runs to give the Diamond Hogs an insurmountable lead. Arkansas scored at least 1 run in every inning except the fifth.
KEY QUOTES
Dave Van Horn on Isaiah Campbell's performance:
"It was good to see Isaiah come back after that first inning...once he got over the hump, he did what he does. He throws strikes that are hard to hit."
Van Horn on finishing one run shy of a school record:
"Well, I didn't even know what it was...I know the fans behind our dugout kept talking about it and cheering...I know we're capable of scoring runs. We figured we'd have days where we'd score 15-16 runs, but you never figure you'd do something like that."
Van Horn on what he expects from Keaton McKinney tomorrow:
"I think Keaton will go out and do what Keaton does...throw a lot of strikes. He won't go as many pitches as Isaiah and Blaine, but if he can get to 50-55, that'll probably be the max." Van Horn
Carson Shaddy on if the players were aware of the school record:
"Yeah, honestly we did. We heard one of the super fans saying we needed one more. It was a lot of fun...Just because we didn't break the record doesn't mean it was a bad day."
Shaddy on scoring that many runs against Bucknell:
"It's nothing against their pitchers at all. You feel bad for them because they had to go out there and have those long innings...I think we were just really locked in today." Shaddy
STAT OF THE GAME
Arkansas hit 4 homers (6 total) on Bucknell starting pitcher Jack Grabek. Grabek only gave up 5 home runs all of last season.
The Razorbacks' 46 combined runs in the first two games are the most to start a season in Arkansas recorded history. Today's 32 runs were just one shy of tying the school record for most in a single game.
WINNING PITCHER
Isaiah Campbell (Arkansas): 4.0 IP (78 pitches), 1 ER, 3 H, 7 K's, 2 BB
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Center fielder Dominic Fletcher showed up in a big way, going 2 for 4 with 5 RBIs. Fletcher's three-run bomb in the second inning put the Hogs up 8-1. He followed that up with an RBI ground out in the third and an RBI double in the fourth.
Senior Carson Shaddy carried yesterday's solid performance over into today's game. The second baseman from Fayetteville (Ark.) went 2 for 2 with 2 walks and 4 RBIs. He's batting .750 through two games.
Freshman Casey Martin got the start and contributed a home run and 5 RBIs at both third base and left field.
UP NEXT...
Arkansas faces Bucknell in the third and final game of the series Sunday at 12:02 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network+.
